Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr wins Socrates Award for charity work and anti-racism activism

Brazilian and Real Madrid footballer Vinicius Junior was honoured with the Socrates Award at the 2023 Ballon d'Or event in Paris for his work in establishing schools in underprivileged regions and supporting education initiatives in Brazil.

What is the Socrates Award? 

• The Socrates Award is given every year to a football player who does great humanitarian work. It's named after a famous Brazilian player and doctor, Socrates.

• France Football Magazine started giving out the Socrates Award in 2022 at the Ballon d'Or event.
• In 2022, the first winner was Sadio Mané, a player who used his success to help his home country, Senegal. He built a school and a hospital in his hometown of Bambali.

Why did Vinicius win the award?

Philanthropy 

• The 23-year-old winger was honored for his humanitarian efforts and his stand against racism on and off the pitch.

• The Vini Jr Institute, founded in 2020, utilizes football's appeal to enhance education in Brazilian public schools. It targets 15 schools and 10,000 students by the end of 2023, involving 500 teachers.
• Vinicius, through the Vini Jr Institute, supports an educational app benefiting disadvantaged children in Brazil. This app grants cost-free access to educational materials.

• In 2023, his personal donation to the foundation is projected to surpass $1 million, and Vinicius has even shared his plans to increase it to $2.5 million by 2024.

Stand against Racism

• At the Paris awards event, co-host Didier Drogba mentioned that Vinicius' outspoken stand against racism played a role in awarding him the Socrates Award.

• Vinicius, who has often faced racial abuse in Spain, has consistently used his platform to highlight this issue.

• Upon receiving the award, Vinicius Jr stepped up to the podium and reaffirmed his commitment to fight racism.

• He stated that he will continue to leverage the football platform in his ongoing fight against racial discrimination.

Footballing brilliance

• Vinicius Jr was the sole Brazilian among this year's top 10 Ballon d'Or nominees due to his impressive performance in the 2022-23 season.

• The 23-year-old netted an impressive 23 goals across all competitions while playing for Real Madrid last season.